French President Emmanuel Macron is searching for his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties combined to oust centre-right leader François Bayrou over his unpopular budget-cutting plans.
Bayrou’s nine-month tenure ended on Monday night when he lost a parliamentary confidence vote.
On Tuesday afternoon, he tendered his resignation to Macron, according to the government website, which added that Bayrou and his cabinet would remain in a caretaker role until a successor is appointed.
Whoever Macron names will face the daunting challenge of forging consensus in parliament to secure approval for next year’s budget. France is under mounting pressure to rein in a deficit nearly double the EU’s 3% limit, alongside a debt burden equal to 114% of GDP.
Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu has been floated as a possible successor, while Macron may also consider a centre-left figure or a technocrat. There are no rules dictating his choice or timing, though a government source indicated he could make the appointment as early as Tuesday.
A poll published by RTL on Tuesday found Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN), was the most popular choice among the public, with 43% favouring him. RN leader Marine Le Pen and conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau both drew 36% support.
The RN has urged Macron to step down or call fresh parliamentary elections. Although Macron has dismissed the idea of resigning, surveys suggest most voters would welcome either option. His snap election last year left France with a fractured legislature that has made even basic governance difficult.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told France Inter radio: “We need to claim power.”
Meanwhile, French businesses have voiced concern over the fallout of the political crisis.
“The government’s collapse compounds months of instability that have already eroded economic confidence,” said Maya Noël of tech lobby group France Digitale. “For the innovation sector, this instability has an immediate price: it hampers investment and hiring.”
The country is also bracing for “Block Everything” demonstrations on Wednesday, which have spread across social media in echoes of the 2018 Yellow Vest protests.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez told BFM TV that 80,000 officers would be deployed nationwide, warning of potential efforts to block major roads and stations, as well as the risk of violent unrest.
Labour unions have separately announced a day of strikes and protests for 18 September.
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle Eas...
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where child...
Although against international humanitarian war, targeting desalination plants and other key locations is increasingly being used as a way of makin...
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U....
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ...
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday (12 March) and was shot dead in a confrontation with security personnel, with no one else seriously injured, authorities said.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Georgia has cancelled international tenders for the construction of major road sections that form part of a regional highway linking the country with the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Centuries-old palaces and mosques in Isfahan, Iran’s celebrated cultural capital, lie in ruins after a series of air raids struck the city’s historic centre, leaving officials to warn of a devastating loss to both national and global heritage. AnewZ’s Touraj Shiralilou visited the city.
A suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue where children were attending preschool on Thursday (12 March) and was shot dead in a confrontation with security personnel, with no one else seriously injured, authorities said.
Although against international humanitarian war, targeting desalination plants and other key locations is increasingly being used as a way of making an opponent weaker in battle. Water-related violent events have increased rapidly since 2022.
Freight transport on the China–Europe Railway Express grew strongly in the first two months of 2026, highlighting the growing importance of rail links between Asia and Europe. The network moved about 352,000 shipping containers between January and February, a 25% increase from a year earlier.
At least 64 people have been killed in southern Ethiopia following recent landslides and floods, the regional government’s communications office said on Thursday (12 March), citing local police
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 12th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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